Meddling
by Nightlingbolt
Summary: When playful teasing prompts Lucy to spill a romantic secret, Mirajane, aided by her ever-willing sister Lisanna, will do anything to make love come to pass. Natza, other pairings mentioned. WARNING: Rant at start of new chapter with strong language.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello, people! Nightlingbolt here! Welcome back to more - wait a minute, this isn't ABCs. This is a little side project I like to call Meddling.**

**So the thing is, I'm getting my bottom wisdom teeth out in the morning, I wanted to write something quickly to tide you guys over while I feel too much like shit to want to write, but I didn't want to write something I didn't have to think too hard about, which eliminated ABCs and Lucky Star, so I ended up writing this. I predict this will end up being three or four chapters, depending on how much effort I put into this. It's just a lighthearted get Natsu and Erza together kind of deal, so... yeah, enjoy it.**

**I do not own Fairy Tail, Hiro Mashima does.**

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><p>CRASH!<p>

That was the sound of Gray throwing Natsu into a table.

"Like hell that'll stop me, Snow Cone!" yelled Natsu as he charged towards the Ice mage.

"Ice-Make, Lance!" Gray yelled, creating one of his trademark attacks.

"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" shouted Natsu, igniting his fists with flame. The boys charged each other, and...

In a flash of light, Capricorn appeared between the two rivals, much to Lucy's surprise. More impressive, he had blocked both their attacks with a hand each. And he did not have a smile on his face.

"Natsu-sama... Gray-sama," he muttered lowly. "While I approve of your enthusiasm, Lucy-sama is suffering from a headache, and the last thing I want is for my owner to feel uncomfortable because of her idiot friends, no offense to you two personally. Therefore, I must ask you to either refrain from your fighting for the day or take it elsewhere. If you boys want to fight someone, you fight me. Do I make myself clear?" As he spoke, his voice took on a more threatening tone, and its effect was clear.

"Aye!" Natsu and Gray said with a nervous salute.

"Good," said Capricorn approvingly. "Now leave us." Both boys scurried off before the Goat spirit got any angrier.

Lisanna, Mirajane, and of course Lucy, stared in awe of how easily he intimidated two of Fairy Tail's strongest mages. "Capricorn... that was incredible!" said Lisanna.

"I've never seen those two defer to someone other than Erza or Lucy!" added Mirajane.

Capricorn smiled. "Seventeen years as one of Grimoire Heart's top mages will do something for your presence of being," he said.

"That was all you?" asked Lucy. "I thought Zoldeo was controlling you all those years."

"Yes and no," said Capricorn. "Zoldeo's possession enabled me to remain in the Human World, and admittedly, he influenced my thought patterns to an extent. However, for the most part, I was in control of my own body. We coexisted in a sort of... parasitic symbiosis, if you will."

"Fascinating," said Lisanna.

"Will you need anything else, Lucy-sama?" asked Capricorn.

"Not right away," said Lucy. "You can go back now." Without another word, Capricorn vanished back into the Celestial Spirit World.

"Those two must be a handful at times," said Mirajane. "Especially Natsu," she added with a wink.

"Eh? What does that mean?" asked Lucy.

"Well, it's kind of obvious that you like him!" said Lisanna brightly.

"What? No I don't!" said Lucy with a blush. Mirajane gave her the "Demon Eyes," and she found she couldn't lie to her.

"Okay, I do like Natsu," she said. "BUT! He's also my first real friend, and dare I say it, my best friend. If we were to get... you know, serious... and something happened... well, I don't want us resenting each other for any reason in the world, so I'm perfectly comfortable with the way things are."

"I see," said Mirajane. "That's an interesting take on the subject." Lisanna, however, had one more question.

"But let's just say Natsu tells you he likes you. Would you be willing to give it a shot?"

"I dunno. Probably," said Lucy. "But that's never going to happen."

"Don't say that, Lucy!" gasped Mirajane. "You never know what could happen!"

"I do know, Mira!" said Lucy. "I know because Natsu told me he likes Erza!"

The sisters shared a gasp at this. Brash, loud Natsu has feelings for strong, abrasive Erza? That was indeed a big piece of news. And Lucy knew it, judging by the way she clasped her hand over her mouth.

"Natsu... and Erza?" asked Mirajane.

"Please don't tell anyone!" begged Lucy. "I promised Natsu I wouldn't say anything! He'll kill me if he finds out I blabbed!"

Lucy did look distraught at her betrayal, so Mirajane decided to cut her a break. "All right," she agreed. "We won't say anything, will we, Lisanna?"

"My lips are sealed," said Lisanna. Lucy sighed in relief upon hearing this. "But are you really okay with Natsu liking Erza?"

"Of course, as long as that's what Natsu wants," said Lucy. "I'll find someone someday, as long as I stay positive." Lisanna gave a nod of approval in reply.

"Actually, now that I think about it, I can see it perfectly!" said Mirajane. "The dragon, abandoned by his only family for reasons unknown, and the knight, betrayed by the person she once trusted. Two wounded hearts, reluctant to trust another, teaching each other to love again!" The barmaid's eyes sparkled. "Oh, it's so perfect, I can't believe I never thought of it before!"

Cautiously, Lucy moved her stool a little bit away from the bar. Really, the eldest Strauss could be a bit overbearing when it came to matchmaking.

"I've decided!" Mirajane exclaimed. "I'm not going to rest until Natsu and Erza are a couple! Lucy, give me something to work with!"

Lucy was taken aback. What did Mirajane expect from her? Wait, she had something! "Well, we ran into Jellal and his guild just before the Games," she said.

"Jellal! That'll work!" exclaimed Mirajane. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a flash of scarlet hair. "Quick, Erza's coming! We can't let her know anything's up!" she said glancing at Lisanna. On her sister's cue, the Animal mage led Lucy away from the bar just as Erza sat down.

"Sorry I'm late," said the Titania. "Master needed my help moving in his new couch. Where are Lucy and Lisanna off to?"

Thinking quickly, Mirajane said, "Oh, Lucy's giving Lisanna advice about how to talk to Bixlow. You know, considering that she fought him, she would have a better idea of his personality."

Erza seemed unconvinced. "And that doesn't bother you?" she asked. "After all, Lisanna is Lisanna, and Bixlow is..." she made a face. "Bixlow."

"Oh, don't be like that!" scolded Mirajane. "Bixlow may come off as a creep, but in reality, he's harmless!"

Mirajane wasn't giving Erza any bull. She had gotten to know Bixlow through interactions with Fried, and everything she had said about the Seith mage was true.

It was then that Mirajane decided to pull out the big guns. "Speaking of romance, how are things with you and Jellal?"

If Erza had had a drink. She would be choking on it right now.

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><p><strong>Damn, Mira plays hardball, doesn't she? Also, it doesn't take much to get her into full matchmaking mode, so don't give her a reason to meddle in your love life.<strong>

**I promise as soon as I feel better, I'll start to work on U. The problem is, I don't want to use anything with a common prefix, like un-, under-, or up- or anything like that, so that makes it a little difficult. *sigh* I guess that's why I haven't found a job yet.**

**Anyway, I'd better stop before I get myself too depressed. So until, I'd estimate Monday, peace and love from Nightlingbolt, especially to anyone getting their wisdom teeth out.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello, people! Nightlingbolt here! Welcome back for more "Meddling!"**

**So yeah, this update is just to reassure you all that I'm okay. I was practically on my feet again by late afternoon yesterday, and the worst of it is that I have to take a pill for the pain (having your gums sliced open will hurt one way or another), and I have to put ice on my cheeks every so often to reduce the swelling.**

**Now, about the chapter itself: this was all ready to go this morning, but then I read Chapter 268, and... Jellal's posing as Mystogan. I shit you not. After saying he couldn't even go near the site of the Games, he ends up pulling this loophole on us! I mean, next we're going to see that Ultear's the leader of the Mermaid Heel team (it does look like her)!**

**Still, I don't think Jellal will keep up the facade past the Grand Magic Games. After all... well, I had to incorporate this new information in the chapter somehow, so you'll see the logic I used soon enough.**

**I don't own Fairy Tail or its characters, Hiro Mashima does.**

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><p>It was then that Mirajane decided to pull out the big guns. "Speaking of romance, how are things with you and Jellal?"<p>

If Erza had had a drink. She would be choking on it right now. "Wha... what?" she stuttered.

"You heard me," said Mirajane. "You. Jellal. What's the situation?"

"There's no situation!" said Erza sternly. "Jellal and I have come to an understanding."

"An understanding?" repeated Mirajane. "Uh-oh, that doesn't sound good."

Erza sighed. "Well, it's the best thing for us," she said. "We got to talking, things got... heated..." But the scarlet-haired mage couldn't hide her blush.

"Did you kiss?" prompted Mirajane. Erza only nodded in reply.

"He told me he had a fiance," Erza recalled. "He was lying, of course."

Mirajane frowned. "Why would he do something like that?" she asked.

"Because if I were to be with him, I would be damning myself to the life of a fugitive, and Jellal doesn't want that for me," explained Erza. "He knows that eventually, I'd have to make an impossible choice: our love or Fairy Tail. I was forced to turn my back on everything I ever loved once upon a time. I won't do so again." A tear ran down her cheek. "All I want for Jellal is to find his happy ending."

Mirajane opened her mouth to ask something else, then let the matter drop. He couldn't pose as Mystogan like he did during the games. According to him, the consequences for Fairy Tail could be dire. Finally, Mirajane spoke again.. "So. Is there anyone you're thinking of now?"

Erza quirked a brow. "What do you mean by that?" she asked.

"You know!" said Mirajane brightly. "Someone who can give you what Jellal can't? Like Gray? Gajeel? Or maybe even... Natsu?"

The listed names had their desired effects. At Gray, Erza gave a noncommital shrug (though she did steal a nervous glance at Juvia). Gajeel's name caused her to cringe. But when Mirajane got to Natsu, that's when Erza got defensive.

"I hardly think that's any of your business, Mirajane!" the Titania said sharply. She got up from the bar and walked away in a huff.

Okay, so there were obviously some feelings for Natsu, so things were looking good for the Dragon Slayer. But still, his feelings were supposed to remain a secret, so he would have to be the one to initiate any sort of romantic contact. But again, the question was this: how do you get a secretive Dragon Slayer to open up to the object of his affection without telling him you knew the truth? The simple answer: you didn't.

Fortunately, the Demon of Fairy Tail had a hidden ace up her sleeve. Now was the time to play it.

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><p>To say that Erza was confused would be an understatement.<p>

Damn that Mirajane for bringing up Jellal, forcing her to spill her guts concerning the ex-Wizard Saint, and of all things, implying that she had feelings for Natsu!

Well, in reality, she did, but that was besides the point! That woman has no business meddling in other people's love lives! She had nothing but harsh words for the poor soul who put that thought in her friend's head!

Oh, who was she kidding? Knowing Mira, she probably reached that conclusion on her own. That woman's mind was an enigma.

Still, there was no room for coincidence in Mira's words. She had said Gray's name to teast the waters, Gajeel's name to get a reaction out of her, and finally, Natsu's name in the hopes of confirming her feelings. A classic one-two-three setup.

Still, she thought, it wasn't Mira's fault that Natsu just happened to have all the qualities she sought in a man. He was strong, he was loyal, he had a bright personality, and it didn't hurt that he was handsome.

Wait... Weren't those the traits she admired in Jellal?

Still, she had to admit that Natsu had traits that made him charming in a way that made him altogether different from Jellal. He was quite boisterous, but in all honesty, her own personality would never land her a gentleman. He was a bit of an idiot, but he was smart when he needed to be, and he had a good sense of fun and when it was time to be serious.

But was romance even something he took seriously? Hardly. He seemed to be too afraid of Lisanna to pursue anything with her. Well, it wasn't Lisanna he feared so much as it seemed to be the intimacy a boyfriend/girlfriend relationship implied.

She knew the feeling well. Despite her feelings, she had barely ever opened her heart to anyone but Master Makarov until the incident at the Tower. No, she had been hellbent on remaining the stern knight with only one goal: to protect her guild from the evil only she knew about.

But then came Natsu, the Fire Dragon. Somehow, he had breathed a flame hot enough to melt the armored shell that surrounded her heart and expose the scared little girl that it had protected for eight years. And much to her surprise, the beast that had exposed her had shown nothing but patience, kindness, and understanding.

"Erza!" a voice called out to her, snapping her out of her thoughts. Erza looked up to see Bisca, who had taken on the role of Fairy Hills matron in her absence, and her daughter Asuka. The sharpshooter had gained the experience of motherhood in the seven years after Tenrou Island disappeared, so it only seemed natural that she take over the care of the other girls.

"Sorry, Bisca," said Erza. "I must have spaced out a bit."

"Really," said Bisca. "That's not like you, Erza."

"Well, Mira's gotten me thinking about some things," said Erza.

"Like what?" asked Bisca.

"Love, romance... just silly things, Bisca," Erza assured the green-haired mage.

"Is that right? I wonder..." Bisca said to herself. "Anyway, Lucy came by to drop this off for you." She pulled out a folded piece of paper and handed it to Erza. "She says it's from Natsu."

"From... Natsu?" repeated Erza. Ignoring the odd coincidence, she took the note and read it.

"_Erza-_

_Meet me just outside the Eastern Forest at four o'clock._

_-Natsu_

"What's it say? What's it say?" asked an excited Asuka.

"Asuka, honey, that note has nothing to do with you," Bisca lightly scolded.

"No, it's fine, Bisca," said Erza with a smile. "It's just a note from Natsu asking me to meet him somewhere."

"Like a date?" asked Asuka innocently.

Erza glared at Bisca. "What have you been teaching her?" she asked indignantly. Bisca ignored her, picked up her daughter, and left in embarrassment.

Erza sighed. Every day, this guild made a little less sense. She looked at the time; 2:45. She supposed she should prepare to meet Natsu.

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><p><strong>Okay, that's another chapter down!<strong>

**And since you people seem to need every little thing explained to you, as evidenced by the reviews for Traveler in ABCs... you know what? No! I'll explain in the next chapter! If you think you get it, let me know in a PM.**

**I think I've got a good U word for ABCs, but I still need to see if I can stretch it out into 1,000 words. I'll work on that, and hopefully ABCs will be my next update. Until then, peace and love from Nightlingbolt.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay, things are moving along quite well, now! Oh, and sorry for no intro, I just don't feel like doing one today.**

**Before we get started, I just want to call out a reviewer for ABCs by the name of Cold Flash. According to him, the entire story is tainted because of Guilt! I mean, for fuck's sake, if it's that bad, then why the fuck did you even read any other chapters? For example, if I read NaLu or NaLi and the other girl is reduced to little more than a jealous bitch, then I don't even spare that story a second glance. The fact that you couldn't just say your peace (or is it piece? Damn homonyms) about that one chapter and why you won't read the rest of the story because of it, instead choosing to read the rest of the story for seemingly no other reason than to bash it proves to me that you're a worthless troll who gets off on making hardworking authors like myself feel like shit and/or doubt their own writing abilities. I'd be more inclined to respect your opinion if you had any stories under your name that you would like to contribute so I know you're not just a useless waste of horseshit. But as it is, you are. And until you actually contribute something to this site other than nasty words, that's how I will continue to see you.**

**And another thing: you seem to me like one of those die-hard Jerza fans, judging by the way you talked about Erza's relationship with Jellal. Well, while I may not support the traditional Jerza pairing, I at least have enough respect for the people who write them to not review their stories for the sole purpose of saying "this fic sux bcuz its jellalxerza! it should be natsuxerza!" In fact, I don't read stories with that pairing at all unless I can see that there's a bright spin on it as opposed to the angstfests most stories centered around that pairing usually are. In other words, don't like, don't read! It's as simple as that!**

***pant pant pant* I'm sorry I had to put my loyal readers through that rant, which in all honesty, he might never even see. But hey, at least I feel better now that I got that out of my system. I blocked the fothermucker, and now everything's good. Maybe someday, when their situation is better, I'll be more inclined to write a Jerza fic (I would say being a fugitive is no better than being a prisoner. In fact, it's worse! You're always dodging the law, worried about the implications your relationship has on your lover and the people he or she cares about, never knowing when you'll get to see each other again, always fearing today will be the day you're forced to give up the fight... I dunno, that'd kill me inside. Part of the reason why, if I didn't support Natza, I at least wouldn't support Jerza. Jellal knows the game, and he's not letting Erza play as long as he can help it).**

**Wow, two rants in one chapter. I am on a frickin' roll. Just shut up and give 'em the chapter.**

**I do not own Fairy Tail or its characters, Hiro Mashima does.**

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><p>Lucy was in her bedroom, relaxing with a good book. Fairy Tail had gotten too loud for her liking, so Mirajane had sent her home, but not before confirming her role in the barmaid's plan.<p>

She still couldn't believe that Lisanna could mimic Natsu's handwriting perfectly. Yeah, that didn't make her sound like a creepy stalker at all. Either way, it had come in handy for convincing Erza to meet up with Natsu at the designated spot, and now Lucy just had to fulfill her part of the plan.

She sighed. Ever since coming back from Tenrou Island to find her father had passed in the seven years she was gone, Lucy had found herself grateful for the lessons he imparted upon her, not the least important was mixing business and pleasure. That was one of the main reasons why Lucy didn't try anything with Natsu; she didn't want their relationship to upset their team dynamic. If they were constantly worrying about each other on missions, nothing would ever get done, which of course meant no rent money for Lucy. And no fish for Happy, but who cares about that?

Even with that rule imprinted into her brain, Lucy had to wonder if Erza could maintain a professional relationship with Natsu in addition to their personal one. After all, the three of them were on the same team, and despite his feelings for the Titania, Natsu enjoyed spending time with Lucy as well, and she flinched at the thought of being on the business end of Erza's jealousy. Which brings back the question of the team dynamic.

Suddenly, Lucy felt a sharp pain in her forehead. Argh, her head hurt too damn much to be applying logic to something like love! And now she lost track of where she was in the book! Just perfect! Add to the fact that she was expecting Natsu any minute now, and her day just got tons less fun!

"Hi Lucy!" Sure enough, Natsu and Happy had arrived to ruin her day. Really, saying he and Lucy were a couple was like saying Spongebob and Squidward were one. As much as Lucy wanted to kick those two out, Mira was counting on them barging into her house, so she sucked it up and greeted the two, more to keep them away from her novel than anything else.

Twenty miniutes later, Lucy had had just about all she could stand of Natsu. The guy had literally eaten all her food, burned her curtains trying to open a jar of mustard, and that's not even getting into the mess her kitchen ended up being when the Dragon Slayer was through.

Lucy was ready to scream, but if she let Natsu leave without delivering the message, she would never hear the end of it. So she took a deep breath, counted to ten, and spoke to Natsu in a calm, even tone.

"Natsu, before I forget, I spoke to Erza earlier today," she said.

This got the Salamander's attention. "Erza?" he repeated. "What'd she want? An S-Class job or something?"

"No, nothing like that," said Lucy. "She just wants you to meet her outside the Eastern Forest at four. She also says to not bring Happy."

Natsu paled. Of course he would do whatever Erza asked for fear of painful retribution, but the fact that Happy couldn't come obviously meant something. "Lucy, you didn't say anything to her, did you?" he asked in a panic, grabbing her breast as he spoke.

This caused Lucy to punch him in the cheek. "WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GRABBING, YOU JERK!" she screamed.

"Owww! Sorry!" moaned Natsu. "But seriously, you didn't tell her, right?"

"What? No, of course not!" said Lucy in shock. Of course, she did tell Mirajane, and that was completely by accident. But there was no need for Natsu to know that, right?

"Hey, who knows? She may want to test out a new armor on you," she said excitedly. "I mean really, you should be proud to be the standard against which Erza measures her Requips!"

"Heh... yeah," said Natsu. "I just wish I was... more than that."

"Well, you're going to be alone with her," said Lucy. "Maybe now's the time to tell her how you really feel. After all..." She felt bad playing this card against her friend, but Mira said it would bring them that much closer that much quicker, and she only wanted him to be happy. "You never know when Jellal might show up again."

"Jellal," muttered Natsu. Here, Lucy didn't know how he would react. He had warmed up to the ex-Wizard Saint ever since the Nirvana incident, and during the Games, they had become friends of a sort. But was their "friendship" strong enough that he could bring himself to forgive the other man for what he'd done to Erza?

"I'm not gonna lose to Jellal! No way!" exclaimed Natsu. "I better get to the Eastern Forest right away! Thanks for the food, Lucy!" With that, the pink-haired mage leapt out of Lucy's kitchen window, completely forgetting it was closed.

At this point, all Lucy could do was scream in frustration. There went the extra money from the last job.

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><p>Erza had arrived at the designated meeting spot fifteen minutes before the time Natsu had asked to meet her, and she still had no idea what it was about.<p>

There was no doubt in her mind that the handwriting in the note matched Natsu's, but the note was still rather vague. Perhaps he had a question about a mission. Yes, an S-Class mission that required an S-Class mage such as herself. Still, there was the matter of meeting in a secluded location that puzzled her.

Or perhaps the Salamander had done something stupid that required Erza's help to fix. Yes, something embarrassing that he didn't want the guild at large to know. Maybe it had something to do with Lucy Erza gave an indignant huff at the thought.

Of course it would be Lucy Natsu was attracted to. She was sweet, cheery, and had an unparalleled love for life, and she herself was scary Erza, little more than a rival to defeat. First Jellal, now Natsu... Erza just had a knack for picking losing battles, didn't she?

"Heeeey! Erzaaaaa!" came the call of the Salamander, surprising Erza to an extent. She didn't expect Natsu to be this early, but then again, he was the one who wanted to speak with her.

However, no sooner had Natsu come within five feet of her than a flash of light surrounded them. A Jutsu Shiki trap, Erza surmised. She could only think of one person capable of such a feat, but she couldn't place a motive for him to do such a thing.

"What the hell is this? Fried? Come out, you bastard! I can smell you, so there's no sense hiding!" Natsu yelled. As he spoke, a screen flashed displaying the rules of the trap.

-No one may see or hear in or out of the affected area.

-No one may enter or leave the affected area.

-The two trapped within this area may not leave until they fulfill the requirements, known only to the caster.

Erza sighed. It looked like they were going to be here a while. The first order of business was to...

"Damn it, Fried! If it's a fight you want, then come at me yourself!"

The first order of business was to shut Natsu up.

SMACK!

"Stop it, Natsu!" Erza admonished harshly. "It's obvious Fried has no intention of letting us out of here without us doing whatever it is he wants!"

"Well, it would help if we knew what it was he wanted!" complained Natsu.

"Yes," agreed Erza. "Unfortunately, he seems to have left us no clues on the matter."

"So we're going in blind," said Natsu.

"So it seems."

"Fucking perfect."

"Well said."

The two sat in silence, each coming up with their own ideas as to get out of Fried's trap.

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><p><strong>There. Chapter's done. Now peace and love from Nightlingbolt. Except to trolls and pedophiles.<strong>


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